Afghanistan

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have successfully negotiated exit routes for military equipment to be used during or following the phased withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014.

Lord Astor of Hever: Current exit routes from Afghanistan are by air only, following closure of the surface route through Pakistan in response to the Mohmand cross-border incident in November 2011. The likely duration of the border closure is not yet clear; however, this is not currently a cause for concern and planning is ongoing to utilise alternative routes should the Pakistani border remain closed in the longer term. We await the results of Pakistan's internal discussions over this issue, and will engage with it regarding the re-opening of its borders in due course. Negotiations are also under way to establish surface and air exit routes through and over the central Asian republics. In summary, there are a range of exit routes from Afghanistan which are subject to continuous review and development.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times since November 2010 Tornado aircraft have been called for and used ordnance in support of United Kingdom ground forces in Afghanistan.

Lord Astor of Hever: RAF Tornados are tasked by the NATO combined air operations centre in a variety of roles across Afghanistan. Tornado aircraft have used ordnance in Afghanistan on 33 occasions since November 2010. Of these, 17 were in support of UK ground forces requesting close air support. Other nations' aircraft also are available to provide close air support, including to Task Force Helmand.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many flying hours have been completed by Tornado aircraft based in Afghanistan.

Lord Astor of Hever: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice, the capability, effectiveness or security of our Armed Forces.

Assisted Dying

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to ensure that the recent Council of Europe agreement that "euthanasia, in the sense of the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit must always be prohibited" (Resolution 1859/2012) is reflected in the domestic laws of the United Kingdom.

Lord McNally: Council of Europe Resolution 1859/2012 is limited to the question of advance directives, living wills and continuing powers of attorney. It aims to empower people to record their wishes regarding their medical treatment for a time in the future when they may lack the capacity to consent to or refuse a particular treatment. The relevant domestic law in that area is the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
	Euthanasia, commonly understood to be the intentional taking of life albeit at a person's request or for a merciful motive, is prohibited in England and Wales by the law of murder. The Government believe that any change to the law in this emotive and contentious area is an issue of individual conscience and therefore a matter for Parliament to decide rather than one for government policy.

Aviation: Fuel Prices

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the rate of VAT levied in each member state in the European Union on aviation fuel; and how these compare to that in the United Kingdom.

Lord Sassoon: VAT at 20 per cent is applicable to retail sales of aviation fuel used for commercial flights within the UK and private pleasure flying. The VAT rates applied by EU member states are as follows:
	
		
			 Member State VAT rates 
			 Belgium 21 
			 Bulgaria 20 
			 Czech Republic 20 
			 Denmark 25 
			 Germany 19 
			 Estonia 20 
			 Greece 23 
			 Spain 18 
			 France 19.6 
			 Ireland 23 
			 Italy 21 
			 Cyprus 15 
			 Latvia 22 
			 Lithuania 21 
			 Luxembourg 15 
			 Hungary 27 
			 Malta 18 
			 Netherlands 19 
			 Austria 20 
			 Poland 23 
			 Portugal 23 
			 Romania 24 
			 Slovenia 20 
			 Slovakia 20 
			 Finland 23 
			 Sweden 25 
		
	
	Under the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation almost all bilateral air service agreements include standard provisions exempting airlines from national taxes and customs duties on a range of aviation-related goods, including parts, stores and fuel.

Blasphemy

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the common-law offence of blasphemy is maintained in Northern Ireland but not in the rest of the United Kingdom, in the light of the recommendation by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in paragraph 48 of General Comment 34 on freedom of opinion and expression, and the obligations imposed on the United Kingdom by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Since the devolution of policing and justice in Northern Ireland, policy relating to the law on blasphemy in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Department of Justice. We have, however, drawn the recommendations referred to by the noble Lord to the attention of the Northern Ireland Department of Justice.

Building Regulations

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review their decision to drop the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), in the light of their agenda to become the "greenest Government ever".

Baroness Hanham: BREEAM is a suite of voluntary environmental assessment methods developed by the Building Research Establishment for use by those developing, procuring or using a range of building types. BREEAM is not and has not been endorsed by the Government as a standard which we expect all developers to aim for as a matter of compliance with building regulations so the question of dropping BREEAM does not arise in that context.
	Individual government departments and their agencies are required, under the greening government commitments, to embed the government buying standards within their contracts. These standards incorporate the BREEAM methodology and ratings in relation to procuring new buildings (or major refurbishments). In respect of public bodies outside government departments and agencies, the common minimum standards on construction encourage them to use BREEAM when procuring new buildings. It is a feature of the common minimum standards that they are kept under review and refreshed as necessary.

Care Services: Means-testing

Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, if a person places their home into a trust for the benefit of themselves and others, that home is then excluded from consideration in the application of the means test for long-term care.

Earl Howe: For residential care, the National Assistance Act 1948 sets the framework within which local authorities assess what people can afford to contribute towards the cost of residential care. Income and capital assets, including, in certain circumstances, a care home resident's former home, are taken into account in making this assessment.
	A local authority may also consider whether residents have deliberately deprived themselves of assets to avoid paying charges. If a local authority considers that a resident has placed an asset into a trust with the sole aim of avoiding or reducing charges for residential care, it may decide that the resident has deliberately deprived themselves of the asset. In such cases, it may treat the asset as still being owned by the resident and take its value into account when assessing the resident for charges.

Church of England: Salaries and Benefits

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of Church of England clergy who are paid (1) more than £35,000 per annum, or (2) less than £35,000 per annum, who are in receipt of state benefit other than child support.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of Church of England clergy who are paid (1) more than £35,000 per annum, or (2) less than £35,000 per annum, who are in receipt of housing benefit.

Lord Freud: The department does not keep such information

Coastal Pathways

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government which sections of coastland in Cumbria and Merseyside have coastal paths.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: A coastal access audit undertaken by Natural England in 2008-09 estimated that 114 kilometres of the coast of Cumbria (34 per cent of the total length) and 38 kilometres of the coast of Merseyside (Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral) (35 per cent of the total length) had a secure, satisfactory path along it. Some parts of both coasts have locally promoted routes, including the Cumbria Coastal Way and the Allerdale Ramble in Cumbria, and the Sefton Coastal Path and part of the Trans Pennine Trail in Merseyside.
	Natural England is currently developing proposals for a coastal route under Part 9 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 along a 33-kilometre stretch of the coast between Allonby and Whitehaven, Cumbria. Natural England expects to consult on its draft proposals for this stretch of the coast later this year.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 10 January 2012 (WA 22-3), what information the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee hold regarding the most recent tests for chromosomal alterations and the extent to which such data would be made available on request to participants in the clinical trial at Moorfields Eye Hospital as part of the process of ensuring informed consent; and what consideration they have given to the case for additional quality controls set out in a new report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Earl Howe: As I advised the noble Lord in my Answer of 10 January 2012, these are matters for the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). I understand this issue has been raised directly with both bodies.
	The MHRA has confirmed that it cannot release information on tests for chromosomal alterations because they are provided by the manufacturer in confidence. The MHRA does not have a role in reviewing patient information for clinical trials and does not hold the information requested regarding informed consent.
	GTAC would not have specifically discussed whether the results of the most recent tests for chromosomal alterations should be made available to participants. The committee would always consider and require that any risk with regard to toxicity would be included in the participant information sheet. GTAC has further advised that the stem cell lines deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank would have passed all relevant safety tests. The committee would expect that should any research participant require any further information about any trial in which they participate, that information would be made available directly to them by either the chief investigator or a member of the research team.

Energy: Forecasts and Estimates

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the amount of energy that will be derived from wind power in the United Kingdom by 2025 and 2050.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the amount of energy that will be derived from nuclear power in the United Kingdom by 2025 and 2050.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the amount of energy that will be derived from hydroelectric power in the United Kingdom by 2025 and 2050.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the amount of energy that will be derived from waste in the United Kingdom by 2025 and 2050.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the amount of energy that will be derived from natural gas in the United Kingdom by 2025 and 2050.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The latest DECC estimate for projected primary demand for natural gas in 2025 is 870 TWh1. This is based on DECC's Updated Energy and Emissions Projections, published in October 2011, available at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/ec_social_res/analytic_projs/en_emis_projs/en_emis_projs.aspx.
	However, these estimates do not include additional policies to meet the 4th carbon budget (2023-27) as set out in the Carbon Plan, published on 1 December 2011.
	In the Carbon Plan, DECC published a range of possible scenarios (based on modelling by Redpoint Energy) for electricity generation from wind, hydroelectric, waste and nuclear in 2030 (see here: http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/tackling-climate-change/carbon-plan/3702-the-carbon-plan-delivering-our-low-carbon-future.pdf, page 73). The analysis considered a range of decarbonisation scenarios consistent with meeting carbon budgets and the 2050 goal. This finds that depending on assumed possible build rates new nuclear contributed anywhere from 10 to 15 GW by 2030 in the scenarios modelled. Actual build rates could make this range higher or lower: industry has announced ambitions to build 16 GW of nuclear by 2025. CCS contributed as much as 10 GW by 2030 in the scenarios modelled. This should not be seen as an upper limit to the potential of CCS-more could be deployed if costs reduce quickly. The analysis showed that renewable electricity could provide 35 to 50 GW by 2030, with the upper end assuming either high electricity demand or significant cost reductions. However, the Committee on Climate Change's renewable energy review suggests that we could have over 55 GW of renewable electricity capacity by 2030, subject to resolution of current uncertainties such as cost reductions and barriers to deployment. It is important to stress that these are not projections but some of the possible scenarios to meet our carbon budgets and 2050 target.
	In addition, the Carbon Plan sets out four plausible pathways towards 2050. Details of these pathways are set out in annexe A of the Carbon Plan: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/emissions/carbon_budgets/carbon_budgets.aspx.
	These were produced using the 2050 pathways calculator tool, which supports users in exploring these and other pathways in great detail. It is available at: http://2050-calculator-tool.decc.gov.uk/.
	The range of primary energy demand by type from the four pathways is shown in Table 1 below.
	
		
			 Table 1: Energy by source in the UK, 2050 (TWh) 2 
			 Natural gas 90 to 189 
			 Waste 107 to 194 
			 Wind power 63 to 288 
			 Hydroelectric power 5 to 7 
			 Nuclear power 110 to 525 
		
	
	Source: 2050 Calculator (December 2011)
	1 Includes all fuel used for transformation into other forms of energy (eg, electricity, heat or transportation). This is energy before conversion losses. Source: Updated Energy and Emissions Projections, October 2011.
	2 Wind. hydroelectric and nuclear are electrical energy delivered to the grid. Natural gas and waste are primary energy used for transformation into other forms of energy (ie, electricity, and heat).

Energy: Solar Power

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the amount of energy that will be derived from solar power in the United Kingdom by 2025 and 2050.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: In the Carbon Plan, DECC published a range of possible scenarios (based on modelling by Redpoint Energy) for electricity generation from renewables in 2030 (see here: http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/tackling-climate-change/carbon-plan/3702-the-carbon-plan-delivering-our-low-carbon-future.pdf, page 73). The analysis considered a range of decarbonisation scenarios consistent with meeting carbon budgets and the 2050 goal. The analysis showed that renewable electricity could provide 35 to 50 GW by 2030, with the upper end assuming either high electricity demand or significant cost reductions. It is important to stress that these are not projections, but some of the possible scenarios to meet our carbon budgets and 2050 target.
	In addition, the Carbon Plan sets out four plausible pathways towards 2050. Details of these pathways are set out in annexe A of the Carbon Plan: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/emissions/carbon_budgets/carbon_budgets.aspx.
	These were produced using the 2050 pathways calculator tool, which supports users in exploring these and other pathways in great detail. It is available at: http://2050-calculator-tool.decc.gov.uk/.
	Based on the four plausible pathways set out in the Carbon Plan, solar photovoltaic panels and solar thermal could together produce between 0 and 27.4 TWh of electricity and heat in 2050.
	However, the calculator explores the boundaries of what would be physically possible for each technology, representing level 1 as little or no effort to reduce emissions, to level 4 as extremely ambitious changes that push towards the physical or technical limits of what can be achieved. Level 4 for solar PV is an extremely ambitious level of deployment without precedent anywhere else in the world, equivalent to 10m2 per person, or covering all south-facing roofs of domestic properties. Level 4 for solar PV would yield 140 TWh of electricity by 2050, as set out in the answer given by my honourable friend the Minister of State for Climate Change to the honourable Member for Stockton North on 21 November 2011 (Official Report, col. 42W).

Ghana

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will have discussions with the Government of Ghana, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union, on the monitoring of the Ghanaian elections in December 2012.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK maintains close contact with the Government of Ghana on a wide range of issues. This will include the monitoring of this year's elections there. In addition, we regularly engage with ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) and the African Union about their election monitoring missions. Ghana's elections will form part of those discussions.

Gypsies and Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hanham on 12 January (WA 108), what plans they have to identify how many of the local authorities who completed their assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers according to the Department for Communities and Local Government's 2009 internet search have provided new sites.

Baroness Hanham: The Government have no plans to conduct such an exercise. I refer the noble Lady to my reply to her on 16 January 2012 (Official Report, col. WA 115), in which I explained that the Government believe that local planning authorities are best placed to assess the needs of their communities and we are therefore placing responsibility for Traveller site provision back with them.

Gypsies and Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hanham on 16 January (WA 115-16), what proposals they have to monitor the use local authorities are making of the Government's £47 million for over 750 new or refurbished pitches for Gypsies and Travellers by 2015.

Baroness Hanham: The Homes and Communities Agency is responsible for administering the Traveller Pitch Funding programme and monitoring the use of funding awarded to local authorities and registered providers. The expectation is that Traveller Pitch Funding is based on payment by results at completion.
	The delivery of Traveller Pitch Funding allocations will be monitored through the agency's established programme management framework with regular provider quarterly contract review meetings forming part of this process.

Health: Clinical Physiologists

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of their decision to regulate public health consultants, why they have not decided to regulate clinical physiologists who undertake sensitive work.

Earl Howe: We are proposing to regulate a small number of non-medical public health specialists to ensure that the existing regulatory system covers all the professionals that it was originally intended to cover, closing a small anomaly that has developed over time whereby some public health specialists who are not medical practitioners are not subject to compulsory statutory professional regulation.
	This move will ensure that there are consistent standards across medical and non-medical public health specialists at a time when they will become increasingly important leaders in local communities.
	For unregulated occupational groups such as clinical physiologists the Government consider that the key to ensuring high quality and consistent care is good recruitment, training, delegation and effective supervision by employers, and our proposed new system of assured voluntary registration will assist them in taking local responsibility for the quality of their staff.

Health: Mesothelioma

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom citizens are believed to have died from mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases since the collection of such figures began; and what is their estimate for the number of fatalities over the next 20 years.

Lord Freud: No single source of information provides a basis for estimating the total number of deaths from mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases in the United Kingdom.
	Detailed statistics for deaths in Great Britain due to the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, and the non-cancerous disease, asbestosis, have been collected since 1968. Deaths due to other forms of cancer (lung, laryngeal and stomach cancer) attributed to asbestos exposure have to be estimated because individual cases are usually clinically indistinguishable from cases due to other causes such as smoking. These estimates are associated with considerable statistical uncertainty.
	Combining the statistics from these different sources suggests there have been approximately 80,000 deaths in Great Britain due to asbestos-related diseases over the period 1968-2009. This total includes approximately 38,000 mesothelioma deaths attributed to asbestos and a similar number of asbestos-related lung cancers. It also includes approximately 2,750 asbestosis deaths and several hundred laryngeal and stomach cancer deaths.
	Projections of future deaths are uncertain and currently available only for mesothelioma. The latest predictions suggest there will be between 33,000 and 49,000 mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain over the next 20 years.

Health: Mesothelioma

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average life expectancy of those who contract mesothelioma, from the time of diagnosis until death.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director-General for ONS, to Lord Alton of Liverpool, dated February 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
	What is the average life expectancy of those who contract mesothelioma, from the time of diagnosis until death (HL15316).
	It is not possible to provide estimates of life expectancy for persons who are diagnosed with mesothelioma, from the time of diagnosis until death, since with a condition is not recorded on the death certificate.
	Relative cancer survival estimates for 21 common cancers are published on the Office for National Statistics website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-21521.
	As mesothelioma is not one of the 21 common cancers, survival figures are not available from routine publications.
	Table 1 below provides the number of deaths registered where the underlying cause of death was either: mesothelioma; pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres (therefore including asbestosis); or pleural plaque with presence of asbestos in the United Kingdom, between 2001 and 2010 (the latest year available).
	Asbestosis is the only asbestos-related condition that can be identified prior to 2001, using the International Classification of Diseases. The classification used to code cause of death. Table 2 provides the number of deaths registered where asbestosis was the underlying cause of death in the United Kingdom between 1974 and 2000. Figures for deaths registered before 1974 are not readily available.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has developed a statistical model to estimate the future burden of deaths caused by mesothelioma in Great Britain up to the year 2050. HSE predicts that the number of male deaths caused by mesothelioma will reach a peak in the year 2016 with a subsequent rapid decline in mortality and estimates that 91,000 mesothelioma deaths will have occurred by the year 2050. Further information is available at www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr728.htm.
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths where mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease was the underlying cause of death, United Kingdom, 2001-20101,2 
			  Deaths 
			 2001 1865 
			 2002 1929 
			 2003 1942 
			 2004 2019 
			 2005 2077 
			 2006 2152 
			 2007 2182 
			 2008 2310 
			 2009 2522 
			 2010 2492 
		
	
	1 Underlying cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C45 Mesothelioma; J61 Pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres; J92.0 Pleural plaque with presence of asbestos
	2 Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year and include deaths of non-residents
	Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
	
		
			 Table 2. Number of deaths where asbestosis was the underlying cause, United Kingdom, 1974-20001,2,3 
			  Deaths 
			 1974 26 
			 1975 57 
			 1976 39 
			 1977 46 
			 1978 44 
			 1979 47 
			 1980 49 
			 1981 56 
			 1982 49 
			 1983 54 
			 1984 55 
			 1985 63 
			 1986 60 
			 1987 62 
			 1988 54 
			 1989 66 
			 1990 72 
			 1991 73 
			 1992 64 
			 1993 64 
			 1994 68 
			 1995 72 
			 1996 67 
			 1997 74 
			 1998 68 
			 1999 73 
			 20004 68 
		
	
	1 Figures were extracted for deaths where the underlying cause was recorded as "Asbestosis". Underlying cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases Eighth Revision (ICD-8) code 515.2 for the years 1974-1978 and Ninth revision (ICD-9) code 501 for the years 1979-2000 (1979-1999 in Scotland).
	2 Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year and include deaths of non-residents.
	3 Figures are not consistent with those presented in Table 1 due to differences between ICD revisions.
	4 Deaths in Scotland were classified using the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) in 2000, a year earlier than the rest of the UK. No figure for deaths due to asbestosis in Scotland is included in the overall UK figures for 2000 as the equivalent ICD-10 code is not comparable.
	Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Housing: Mortgages

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the proposal in the European Union capital markets directive IV that mortgagors who are 90 days in arrears should be considered in default.

Lord Sassoon: As part of the European Commission's legislative proposals for the capital requirements directive (CRD) IV, the Commission proposes harmonising the internal ratings-based (IRB) approach to the definition of default that would apply to all credit institutions. One of the conditions proposed by the Commission requires institutions to consider a borrower as having defaulted on its credit obligations if the borrower is more than 90 days in arrears.
	CRD IV is currently being negotiated by the European Council and the European Parliament. While the Government are still considering the potential impact of the proposed requirement, this proposal should not impact on lenders' treatment of individual borrowers who are struggling to keep up with their mortgage repayments. The Government are clear that repossession should always be a last resort.

Internet: Broadband

Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the whole of Northumberland to have access to superfast broadband.

Baroness Rawlings: The Government have set a target for all broadband projects to be completed by 2015.
	Northumberland County Council has submitted a draft local broadband plan. All local broadband plans are scheduled for approval by the end of April 2012.
	The councils should be ready to enter into procurement by end of July 2012 and have completed procurement by the end of 2012. Once procurement is complete the rollout of infrastructure upgrades can commence.

Justice and Security

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the responses to the public consultation on the Justice and Security Green Paper.

Lord McNally: There are no plans at present to publish responses to the public consultation on the Justice and Security Green Paper. The Government will, of course, publish a summary of the views expressed in the consultation, and of those who responded, in due course, in line with the code of practice on consultation.

Justice and Security

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what responses they have received from the police and prison services to the Green Paper on Justice and Security.

Lord McNally: Responses to the consultation on the Justice and Security Green Paper have been received from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS); Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate and the Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit; Wiltshire, Lancashire, Northamptonshire and Cambridge Police Constabularies; the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Crime Business Area; the Association of Police Lawyers; Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC); the Police Federation; the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI); and ACPO (Scotland) Crime Business Area. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has also responded. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. It has been fully involved in discussions on the content of the Green Paper.

Justice and Security

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in relation to the 27 cases referred to in paragraph 11 of annexe J to the Green Paper on Justice and Security, what proportion of those cases they consider could be fairly resolved only by means of a closed material procedure.

Lord McNally: It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on the detail of ongoing litigation. However, paragraph 11 of appendix J (page 63) of the Justice and Security Green Paper states that the Government estimate that "sensitive information is central to 27 cases (excluding a significant number of appeals against executive actions) currently before the UK courts, and in many of these cases judges do not have the tools at their disposal to discharge their responsibility to deliver justice".

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much public money will be saved under the changes to the way in which mesothelioma cases are dealt with in the courts provided for in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill; and how much the processing of such cases has cost in the past 12 months for which figures are available.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord McNally on 30 January (Official Report, col. 1434) that changes to the way mesothelioma cases are in future handled in the courts in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill will "squeeze out from the system the inflation that went to lawyers", what this inflation consisted of; and how much money they have identified as wrongly claimed by lawyers who have acted in such cases in the last year for which figures are available.

Lord McNally: I was referring to costs in civil litigation generally, which the reforms in Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill are intended to address. A general liability insurer has indicated that in 1999 claimant solicitors' costs were equivalent to just over half the damages agreed or awarded at 56 per cent. By 2004, average claimant costs were 103 per cent of the damages. By 2010 average claimant costs represented 142 per cent of the sums received by the injured victims. The NHS Litigation Authority has reported similar rises in the amounts paid to claimant lawyers. This substantial rise in claimant costs is largely due to the way in which conditional fee agreements have worked since the Access to Justice Act 1999.
	The Ministry of Justice does not record costs data by type of case and so is not able to break the figures down into mesothelioma and other claims.
	The proposed reforms in the Bill will introduce proportion and fairness to the current CFA regime and should be welcomed. Once our changes take effect, I believe that meritorious claims will be resolved at more proportionate cost, while unnecessary or avoidable claims will be deterred from progressing to court.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remark by Lord McNally on 30 January (Official Report, col. 1431) in connection with the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill that "I am quite sure that the insurance industry has been lobbying on this Bill", whether officials at the Ministry of Justice encouraged the Justice Secretary to attend insurance industry events and to provide details of any events and meetings which were held with the industry.

Lord McNally: Departmental officials advise the Justice Secretary on a number of matters, including any stakeholder events to which he is invited. Since the Government's consultation on Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations, officials have corresponded and met with a wide range of stakeholders, including claimant and defendant representatives. The Justice Secretary has not attended any meetings or events to discuss the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill held by the insurance industry.

Local Involvement Networks

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of putting out to tender contracts to act as hosts to local involvement networks.

Earl Howe: The information requested is not collected centrally. The costs to local authorities of administering and monitoring contracts with host organisations are likely to have varied according to the nature of their area and each local authority's infrastructure.
	The department allocated £10,000 to each local authority in 2007 to help with the initial set-up of local involvement networks including the procurement of the host organisation to support them.

Money: Pound Sterling

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish a table showing the value of the pound in each year since 1992 against an index of 100 for the value of the pound in 1974.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director-General for ONS, to Lord Wigley, dated February 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking if the ONS could publish a table showing the value of the pound in each year since 1992 against an index of 100 for the value of the pound in 1974 [HL15384].
	ONS already publishes information on the value of the pound in one year compared to others covering 1977 to 2011 in table 33 of the detailed Consumer Prices Index and Retail Price Index Reference tables available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cpi/consumer-price-indices/december-2011/cpi-and-rpi-detailed-reference-tables.xls.
	It is recognised that certain users may be interested in comparisons for earlier years and therefore instructions are provided alongside the published data so that users can make comparisons back to 1947. Table 1 provides the analysis you have requested.
	
		
			 Table 1: Value of the pound in 1992 to 2011 when the value of the pound in 1974 = 100 
			   pence 
			 1974 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
			 100 20 20 19 18 18 17 17 17 16 16 
			 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011  
			 16 15 15 14 14 13 13 13 12 12

NHS: Patient Satisfaction and Value

Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they assess the value for money, operational effectiveness and patient satisfaction of new hospitals such as the new Pembury Hospital, Kent.

Earl Howe: Capital investment proposals in the National Health Service are considered on a case-by-case basis and assessed against key approval criteria set down by the department and Treasury. Each proposal is subject to a value-for-money test which compares the risk adjusted, whole-life costs and benefits of a public capital-funded option (known as the public sector comparator) with one provided under the private finance initiative (PFI). PFI involves a private sector consortium raising finance either through a loan from a bank or from the capital markets (bonds).
	NHS trusts report key financial information to the department on a monthly basis, and detailed financial information on a quarterly basis. The financial information is signed off locally by the organisation's chief executive and director of finance, and by the strategic health authority cluster chief executive and director of finance.
	In addition, the NHS performance framework includes the financial assessment of NHS trusts. This is monitored on throughout the year, and reported on a quarterly basis.
	As part of the national patient survey programme, run by the Care Quality Commission, patients are asked about their experience of receiving NHS services. Their responses are used to produce quantitative, comparable data which can be used to benchmark organisations.

Pensions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 5 December 2011 (WA 128-9), why the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive are listed as "other unfunded" pension schemes in the Whole of Government Accounts Unaudited Summary Report for the year ended 31 March 2010, and not within the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme and the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers' Superannuation Committee respectively.

Lord Sassoon: The Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive participate in several pension schemes. The Northern Ireland Office is included in the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) or the PCSPS (Northern Ireland) scheme for the majority of its employees. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive is included in the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers' Superannuation Committee scheme for the majority of its employees.
	Both the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive also participate in other unfunded pension schemes and so were included in the list of other unfunded pension schemes in my Answer on 5 December 2011.

Pensions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 10 January (WA 65-6), why the pension liabilities of the University Superannuation Scheme are not included in the 2009-10 whole-of-government accounts, given that expenditure in England on grants and subsidies by the Higher Education Funding Council, Learning and Skills Council and local authorities to further education institutions is included.

Lord Sassoon: I refer the noble Lord to paragraph 3 of my Answer provided on 10 January 2011. Universities are not classified to the public sector. Accordingly, neither they nor the University Superannuation Scheme are consolidated in the whole-of-government accounts, as it consolidates only public sector bodies.

Piracy

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will propose a system of courts, with nearby remand and post-conviction prisons, to try pirates captured in the Indian Ocean and adjoining seas.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are working with key states in the Indian Ocean region to build prosecution and prison capacity. Our work with Seychelles, for example, has included the provision of support from the UK Crown Prosecution Service to help prosecute suspected pirates captured at sea. The UK, alongside other international partners, provides funding to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, which completed work on a new prison block at Seychelles's Montagne Poisee in September 2011, providing the Seychelles with additional capacity to cope with prosecuted pirates and piracy suspects. We will continue to support this work, and similar work with other regional states, to help build sustainable prosecution and detention facilities to tackle and deter piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what public expenditure has been incurred under the provisions of the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 in each of the past five years.

Lord Freud: The amounts of compensation payments made under the Pneumoconiosis etc (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 for the past full five years is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Amount Paid 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 £25.9 million 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 £27.4 million 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 £33.0 million 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 £35.2 million 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 £38.3 million 
		
	
	Note
	Expenditures are expressed in millions, to one decimal point.

Schools: Academies

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many academies have been established since May 2010.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Since May 2010, 1,377 academies have been established. Of these, 1,243 have converted to academy status and 134 have become sponsored academies.

Schools: Profit-making

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances private organisations will be able to run state schools for profit.

Lord Hill of Oareford: State-funded schools cannot be profit-making. All schools can outsource specific services or any range of services to a third party and many schools do this and have done so for decades. There are no limitations on whether such contractors can make a profit.

Shipping: "Westwind II"

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the cargo ship "Westwind II" was arrested in Portland harbour; and whether they will intervene to ensure that the crew receive their unpaid wages and are enabled to return home.

Lord McNally: "Westwind II" was arrested by the Admiralty Marshal (an employee of Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service) pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the Admiralty Court on the application of Shellfish Ltd. The vessel was arrested in order to establish jurisdiction and as security for Shellfish Ltd's claim against the vessel. The Admiralty Marshal is providing food, water and fuel to those members of the crew who remain on board in accordance with an order granted by the Admiralty Registrar on 10 November 2011. However, Her Majesty's Government are not responsible for paying the crew's wages. The owners of the vessel retain responsibility for paying and repatriating the crew in accordance with their contracts of employment.
	The vessel will remain under arrest until the vessel is sold or released by the claimants. If an order is made for the sale of the vessel by the court, the Admiralty Marshal will be entitled to recover expenses from the proceeds of sale. If the vessel is released following an order of the court, the Admiralty Marshal will be able to recover any expenses incurred by him or on his behalf in accordance with the undertakings made by the claimant's solicitors at the time of their application for the warrant of arrest.

Somalia: Piracy

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many Somali pirates have been jailed each year since 2009, and in which countries; and how many have been released without having been taken into custody.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports that there are currently in excess of 1,000 individuals who either have been convicted and imprisoned or are being processed through the criminal justice systems of some 20 states. Some 70 convicted pirates have already completed their sentences and have been released.
	In the last two years, 42 pirates in total have been transferred to other states by the Royal Navy for prosecution.
	In addition between April 2010 and February 2012, a total of 60 further suspected pirates were encountered by the Royal Navy during boarding operations. Following detailed analysis of all physical evidence and witness statements, these suspects were released as it was assessed that a successful prosecution was unlikely. The subsequent destruction of any pirate equipment and weapons found serves as a disruption measure and prevents their future use. Prior to April 2010, information on the number of individuals encountered by the Royal Navy who were suspected of piracy is not held centrally.
	In 2009, the European Union Naval Force conducted 16 disruption operations, of which five resulted in a subsequent prosecution of suspected pirates. In 2010, they conducted 49 disruption operations, of which four resulted in a prosecution. Finally in 2011, EUNAVFOR conducted 18 disruption operations, two of which resulted in prosecution.
	Since the beginning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) Operation Ocean Shield in 2009, it has disrupted in the region of 500 suspected pirates, 80 of whom are being or have subsequently been prosecuted.

White Phosphorus

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government why a phosphorus artillery shell has been approved for use by NATO forces, in the light of international restrictions on the use of white phosphorus.

Lord Astor of Hever: White phosphorus munitions are not prohibited under current or likely future international agreements. UK and NATO armed forces use all munitions at their disposal according to applicable international humanitarian law. Such use is governed by the principle of avoiding unnecessary suffering.
	UK Armed Forces use white phosphorus munitions only to obscure the battlefield, provide illumination or for signalling, not for anti-personnel use.
	Incendiary weapons, those primarily designed to set fire to objects or to cause burn injury through the action of flame, heat, or a combination thereof, are illegal in attacks on the civilian population or civilian objects, and limits are placed on attacks on military objectives located within a concentration of civilians.

World Health Organisation: Awards

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the World Health Organisation Innovations in Health Worker Migration Award announced on 1 February 2012; and whether they will be nominating the United Kingdom or any other candidate for an award.

Earl Howe: The Government are committed to the ideals expressed in the World Health Organisation (WHO) Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Workers and welcome initiatives such as the WHO award scheme to ensure that migration of health workers does not compromise healthcare in developing countries. The Government have yet to decide whether to make a nomination.